The Dart makes a comeback

Well, sort of, anyway. Chrysler Group says it will roll out the all-new Dart compact sedan at the Detroit auto show in January, and the car will go on sale later in the year as a 2013 model.

But this one is a lot different from the Darts that Chrysler sold from 1960-76, when they ranged from full-size cars early on to the compacts they became in 1963 and for the rest of their run.

The 2013 Dart actually will be mostly a Fiat underneath, as its design comes from Chrysler’s majority owner, the Italian automaker Fiat. The company says the new Dart is adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Alfa is Fiat’s upscale brand, but the Dart actually is on a chassis that Fiat is using for its new line of compacts that will be sold worldwide.

Although it has Fiat architecture, the new Dart will be built at a Chrysler plant in Belvidere, Ill., which is getting a $600 million upgrade to prepare for the Dart and other new products, the automaker said. Included is a 638,000-square-foot body shop. Work began on the plant in summer 2010.

The Dart marks Chrysler’s re-entry into the compact-sedan market, which it abandoned with the discontinuation of the Neon line after the 2005 model year. Neon was sold under the Dodge and Plymouth names, and, quite frankly, was never much good.

Since the Neon’s exit, Chrysler’s smallest cars have been the midsize Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring (now called the 200), except for the compact PT Cruiser wagon, which went away in 2010. It was built on a highly modified Neon chassis and was a great success, at least in the first few years.

Chrysler hasn’t released any full photos of the new Dart yet, just a couple of “teaser” shots that show part of the front and rear ends. Those show an R/T model (road and track), which is the automaker’s designation for the sporty version in a Dodge model lineup.

“With Alfa Romeo DNA and Dodge’s passion for performance at its core, the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart is a thoroughly modern vehicle that’s fuel-efficient, beautifully designed and crafted, agile and brings fun back to driving in the segment,” Chrysler said.

“Similar to the Dodge Dart of the late 1960s, the 2013 Dart offers a special blend of style, performance and innovation,” the company added.

The Dart will be among the roomiest of compacts on the market, Chrysler said, and will have a body that is 68 percent high-strength steel, giving it a “very strong and rigid structure.”

Its external appearance will have the unmistakable look of today’s Dodge brand, with the signature split-crosshair grille, full-width LED taillights and dual exhaust outlets. The taillights and exhaust pipes were “inspired” by the current Dodge Charger, the company said.

Three fuel-efficient, 16-valve four-cylinder engines will be available, Chrysler said, including a new normally aspirated Tigershark 2.0-liter, a turbocharged MultiAir 1.4-liter and a new Tigershark MultiAir 2.4-liter. There will be three transmission choices, as well.

Chrysler says the new MultiAir system “delivers optimum combustion at any speed under all driving conditions by allowing direct and dynamic control of air intake and combustion.”

What that gives the engines is a 15 percent increase in low-end torque, a 7.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 10 percent reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions, the company said.

Other features will include 18-inch wheels and a four-wheel independent suspension.

The car will seat up to five people comfortably (even in the rear), Chrysler says.

As for the original Dart, the name was used first on a full-size Dodge model in 1960-61, and then it became what was then considered a midsize in 1962. From 1963 until it went out of production in 1976, it was considered a compact, but at that time, they were bigger than the cars now marketed as compacts.

Chrysler also had performance versions of the Dart, such as the Swinger 340 that came along in the late 1960s.

It’s not likely that many who remember and loved the old Darts would be immediately thrilled by this new version. Those old cars had a lot of charm and style, and as the old saying goes, “They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

But what the new Dart will do for Chrysler is bring it solidly back into the compact segment, which is vital to the company’s success. That’s where the most growth is expected to be in the auto market as carmakers move toward meeting tough new federal fuel-economy standards.

From early appearances, the new Dart looks to be a contender. But it’s a tough segment for Chrysler to crack.

There are strong entries already established in the compact class, such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and a surprise newcomer, the Chevrolet Cruze, which now is entering its second year.